Pressing on despite it all

Time and again, the Catalan government has insisted that it is willing to engage in talks and that its political claims are fundamentally democratic. President Puigdemont confirms that much in our interview with him this Sunday.

The job of running a newspaper means that at times you are an orchestra conductor and, on occasion, the captain of a pirate crew. It is too early to say whether I spend longer holding a baton or brandishing a hook, but I do know that it is an extraordinary job and I have no doubt that it requires a team effort. Because we know our destination, let’s keep going!

We are met by Catalan President Carles Puigdemont in the quietly solemn Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of Catalonia’s government. While it is a sober setting, the gravitas of the job is not incompatible with a sense of humour and during our photo session he tells us that, as a former mayor of Girona city, protocol dictates that he will be allowed to carry a small sword one day. Joking comes easily. Puigdemont is fond of irony, even though —or perhaps because— the nation’s political temperature is rising. He denies that events are unfolding more rapidly and states that what has changed is the perception by all those who believed that the difficulties of the situation would have stopped it. Puigdemont maintains the same goal and discourse with which he took office. He knows that succeeding or failing in this poker game will also depend on the perception and the credibility of his determination. He believes that “now is the time” and that, after the political journey of the last six years, he must stay the course because Madrid will not have the means to stop the independence process in Catalonia.

Determination is now key to winning over the public opinion. In Catalonia and in Spain, there is a battle for the political narrative, which becomes perfectly obvious when the PP government publicly reacts to events which have not taken place yet, so as to interfere with the Catalan government’s message. For instance, when they rushed to respond to Puigdemont’s recent speech in Madrid or they held a press conference to reply to intentions that had not been laid out publicly. Credibility is also key in Catalonia, where the democratic narrative in support of holding a ballot is vital to drum up public support. Time and again, the Catalan government has insisted that it is willing to engage in talks and that its political claims are fundamentally democratic. President Puigdemont confirms that much in our interview with him today. The Catalan leader says he is willing to address the Spanish parliament in Madrid, but won’t allow the institution he represents to be publicly humiliated. He will address the Spanish chamber one one condition: first he will announce the date of the referendum and the wording of the question which Catalan voters will be invited to answer at the polls. To quote him, it is the difference between “explaining how we got where we are” and being the “object of derision” in the Spanish parliament, as happened to former Basque president Ibarretxe a few years ago.

Democracy as a weapon

Puigdemont believes that his main weapons are the message of Catalonia’s democratic demands and the civic-mindedness of independence supporters. He openly says that “they will struggle to show how a ballot box could possibly be a weapon”, in reference to the accusations of plotting a coup coming from Madrid in the last few weeks. Puigdemont likes to think that they have stepped up their threats because they are being “cocky”.

By now, though, it has become patently clear that Madrid will not choose to respond by sending in the Spanish army, but by clawing at the democratic message and suspending Catalonia’s powers. Four political leaders have already been banned from holding office, including a former president of Catalonia, and now the Spanish Court of Auditors is threatening them and their estates with hefty fines. The entire Catalan government and the Board of the Parliament will be facing a Spanish court of law, which could lead to a paralysis of justice and the civil service.

Carles Puigdemont is adamant that the issue of Catalonia’s status is not about finances or identity, but a political matter; and a satisfactory, stable solution to relations between Catalonia and Spain can only by found through political means.

President Puigdemont is relying on the Catalan people’s capacity to rally peacefully. He talks about pacifism and passive resistance, without a general strike but with permanent, broad-based demonstrations that bring together people of all ages.

His cabinet’s goals are clear, but so are the hurdles. It is a fact that events are unfolding faster and tensions will rise when the date and the question of the referendum are unveiled. There is determination and many unknown quantities. For instance, in the coming days we will find out whether the Comuns (1) will refuse to support a unilateral independence referendum and whether Catalonia’s public opinion is more tired of the independence process or of the disdain of Madrid and the PP-PSOE-Ciudadanos grand coalition, which always works against Catalonia.

We will also find out whether the PDECat will take a step forward towards a fresh start or it will remain stuck in the past. That will be in another article.

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Translator’s notes:

(1) The Comuns (Catalan for “commons”) are the new regional left-wing political alliance “Catalonia in Common” (Catalunya en Comú) whose position on Catalan independence remains ambiguous. Barcelona mayor Ada Colau is one of their leaders.